definitely by Christmas....

I was wrong when I said, "We'll probably be in by Thanksgiving, but if not then, definitely by Christmas."

I wasn't just a little bit wrong.

I think I missed it by a long shot.

These countertops were supposed to be the last thing to go in.


Aren't they gorgeous?

Polished to perfection.

Uh, oh.....Looks like the countertops are done, but there's some things missing here.....

• Floors not stained or sanded.
• Trim not finished around windows (or doors considering there are no doors.....)
• Paint not done, hence the lack of outlet covers.
  

Yikes! it's even worse in this picture. Appliances aren't even near ready to go in. (A stove will go here and a vent hood)

Oh, my! And the wood beams aren't in the ceiling yet.

But, at least my countertops are in.

And gorgeous.

Wanna take a stab at the material we chose?

I love it. I love it. I love it.

Upstairs, there's still work being done as well.

At least the floors here are finished. We chose Early American stain for our reclaimed beech barnwood planks (cut 7, 8, 9. 10, 11" and laid in a variegated pattern).

Oh my that floor gave us trouble.

See, nothing in this house is square....not even the floors. That concrete-like stuff on the floor is called "floor-leveler" and it's actually some type of vinyl that's poured.

Oh, just wait till you see the floors in my guest bath.

If you're a guest at our house, you get to use the bathroom with the nicest, prettiest floors.

And, most expensive.

Well, it was the bath with the smallest square footage, so it was a smart choice to put the most expensive tile here.

That, and we want to impress the guests. :)

We had a budget for tile (otherwise I could spend all my future earning potential on this stuff). No matter what, I wanted this tile, so every things else in the house was budgeted around it.

This tile makes me happy.

Happier than any other tile.

I just love it.

And, you can only be my friend if you love it, too.

(slightly kidding....)

They call these "pennies", but I call them "quarters."

There's no grout yet, but aren't they just the prettiest, shiniest tiles?

Want a closer look?


I think I could spend the rest of my life on this floor.

Notice the variation in the colors....so subtle, yet oh so pretty.

Oh my.

I think this was my Christmas present.....tile.


Merry Christmas to you and I can now confidently say, "We'll definitely be in by Christmas."

2010, that is...